The ‘Watergate’ playbook for Lance Armstrong

If Lance Armstrong is to have a image makeover in the wake of reports that the cyclist has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs during his career, he would do well to take a page out of the playbook of some of Watergate’s most notable players.

In an interview on SiriusXM Monday night, former Livestrong Chief Development Officer Doug Kingsriter said that Armstrong should learn from Chuck Colson, a Special Counsel to Richard Nixon and known by some as Nixon’s “hatchet man.” He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice during the Watergate scandal.

Kingsriter was asked by host Fran Tarkenton why Armstrong would confess to using performance enhancing drugs.

“It’s a lonely road, and my heart goes out to Lance. Lance always treated me with respect. Like you, this is all news to me. The only thing I think about is [special counsel to Nixon] Chuck Colson, who, after some period of time said, ‘You know, I did wrong.’…Chuck Colson was in the Watergate scandal…and then he went to prison. After he came out, he had Chuck Colson Ministries. He felt like he could do something, and he started an organization that would help bring the gospel to people who were in prison. And he became more known for that work than he did for the Watergate scandal.”

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In an interview on SiriusXM Monday night, former Livestrong Chief Development Officer Doug Kingsriter said that Armstrong should learn from Chuck Colson, a Special Counsel to Richard Nixon and known by some as Nixon’s “hatchet man.” He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice during the Watergate scandal.

Kingsriter was asked by host Fran Tarkenton why Armstrong would confess to using performance enhancing drugs.

“It’s a lonely road, and my heart goes out to Lance. Lance always treated me with respect. Like you, this is all news to me. The only thing I think about is [special counsel to Nixon] Chuck Colson, who, after some period of time said, ‘You know, I did wrong.’…Chuck Colson was in the Watergate scandal…and then he went to prison. After he came out, he had Chuck Colson Ministries. He felt like he could do something, and he started an organization that would help bring the gospel to people who were in prison. And he became more known for that work than he did for the Watergate scandal.”

Kingsriter added, “And I’m hopeful for Lance, that in his heart of hearts he gets down to who he really is and what he really wants to do. And do the right thing, and not think about what are the papers going to say, or what…public opinion is going to do. [I hope that] he gets down a real heartfelt ‘I was wrong,’ and he can rebuild from there.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Doug Kingsriter’s name.